Jose Enrique has selected himself and two of his former Newcastle United teammates in an ultimate XI of players he’s played with. Enrique has chosen iconic Magpies duo Fabricio Coloccini and Hatem Ben Arfa in the side, that also includes the likes of Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez.
The Spanish left back spent four years at St. James’ Park, making 129 appearances – scoring once and assisting 11. Enrique was part of the side that won promotion from the Championship in the 2009/10 season and was a consistent performer during his time with the club.
Coloccini, meanwhile, is regarded as a modern-day legend at Newcastle having made just shy of 300 appearances. Speaking of his inclusion, Enrique said via FourFourTwo: “On the ball, Fabio was just amazing.
“Again, he was a central defender that had a bit of everything. He was maybe not as good in the air as Daniel [Agger] – or other centre-backs like Martin Skrtel, who’d be up there for me too – but I loved playing with Coloccini at Newcastle and he has to be in this team.”
Ben Arfa, on the other hand, has had a career littered with inconsistency, yet his talent is something that cannot be questioned. He produced one of the best individual seasons in recent years during the 2011/12 campaign and Enrique believes if he hadn’t have ‘ruined his own career’, he could’ve been one of the world’s best.
He said: “He was a wonderful footballer, but in my opinion he ruined his own career. He could have gone to any club he wanted in the world. Hatem was sensational for a season at Newcastle, one of the top players in his position.
“In terms of pure ability, he was incredible. No one else compares.”
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